Courses Taught by Zhenhua Yang

EPID513 Vaccine in Public Health

Description: This course introduces essential vaccinology, covering pre-clinical vaccine development, clinical trials, new vaccine licensing, immunization program design and evaluation. It also introduces population transmission dynamics concepts, and the impact of pathogen and human population diversity on vaccination. Recent advancements in major types of non-infectious vaccines will also be discussed.

This course is cross-listed with PUBHLTH413 in the PUBHLTH413 department.

EPID609 Vaccines in Public Health

Description: Vaccines represent the most cost-effective medial intervention that has made a major effect on mortality reduction and population growth. This course will cover the epidemiological, statistical, biological, microbiologic, immunological principles, approaches and methods used in vaccine development and vaccination program design. Through a detailed discussion of the pathobiology, epidemiology, vaccine, and vaccination program design of a selected group of vaccine preventable diseases, the course will introduce the students to the major types of infectious diseases defined by the types of pathogens, the different transmission mechanisms of infectious diseases, the concept of population transmission dynamics, and the basic types of population effects of vaccination. Current issues and challenges in vaccine development and immunization practice will als be discussed.

EPID816 Tuberculosis: Pathogen, Host and Environment

Description: Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Social and operational factors, the growing AIDS epidemic, and increasing drug resistance have dramatically compounded the tuberculosis crisis. This course will review the history, epidemiology, biology, pathogenesis, and clinical management of tuberculosis. It will examine the current issues related to tuberculosis and discuss the complex mechanisms that contribute to the almost unparalleled impact of tuberculosis on global health in the past and present time, including the impact of the emergence of AIDS epidemics.
Each session will include a one-hour didactic presentation of the specific topic for the session by the instructor followed by a structured class discussion of reading(s) relevant to the session-specific topics that address emerging methods. In the last session, the students will be asked to present their research proposals on an infectious disease of their primary interests using the concepts and methods learned in this class. While the focus of the lectures will be centered on tuberculosis, the discussions will address the application of general concepts in infectious disease.

PUBHLTH413 Vaccines in Public Health

Description: This course introduces essential vaccinology, covering pre-clinical vaccine development, clinical trials, new vaccine licensing, immunization program design and evaluation. It also introduces population transmission dynamics concepts, and the impact of pathogen and human population diversity on vaccination. Recent advancements in major types of non-infectious vaccines will also be discussed.

Course Goals:

To introduces the students to the history and evolution of vaccinology, and the principles and methods of epidemiology, statistics, microbiology, immunology, and genetics used in vaccine development and immunization program design.

To introduce the students to the general procedures for new vaccine development and licensure, including the different phases of clinical trials of new vaccines.

To introduces the students to the concepts of population transmission dynamics, and the impact of pathogen and human population genetic diversity on vaccine development.

To expose the students to the new frontiers of vaccines - development of vaccines for major types of non-infectious diseases.

Competencies:

Although there is no official competencies that have been established for the new public health undergraduate program, this course addresses, partially or substantially, a number of BS in Public Health Sciences Requirements, which include:

Gain an understanding of the natural history of infectious and chronic diseases, their environmental and biological origins, their distributions among populations, and strategies for their prevention and management.

Examine and explore multiple aspects of infectious and chronic diseases, including socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and structural factors that contribute to their origin and distribution among populations.

Understand the basic biology, transmission, and natural history of important human infectious and chronic diseases.

Examine methodologies that are used in public health to study the underlying causes and impact of various aspects of infectious and chronic diseases, including surveillance, epidemiological investigations, and mathematical modeling.

Explore multi-tiered public health strategies for the prevention, treatment, and potential eradication of infectious and chronic diseases.

Learning Objectives:

To gain an understanding of how new knowledge generated from epidemiological studies from different populations, basic biomedical science research, and health policy assessment, along with the development of new technology, can jointly inform and impact the development of new vaccines for the prevention of different types of diseases, including both infectious and non-infectious diseases.

to be familiar with the essential steps involved in developing a new vaccine.

to understand important factors that affect the efficacy, effectiveness, and the public acceptance of vaccination.

This course is cross-listed with EPID 513 in the Epidemiology Department department.